 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-12-21 00:03
Hi,
Well, I did it! I finally got an SWS mouthpiece, a #2, at a good price (the piece looks like it has hardly been played). I had one of these beauties many years ago but it went with the Selmer Signet clarinet that I had which was stolen. But that's another story.
I know a little about the story. I believe Jerome Stoll was a clarinetist with the CSO and Wells was the mouthpiece designer, and possibly Schneider was a marketing person. After a few years, teh group broke up but the mouthpiece was still produced. After that, I know very little so if anyone had any details or also plays a SMS, I'd love to hear from you.
So, how does the mouthpiece play. Excellent! Great response and a big open tone. Very reed friendly and nice attacks. I use a Portnoy BP02 as my primary with a Buffet C Crown Chedeville as my back up. The SMS is trying hard to break into the varisty.
Hope to hear about your SMS stories. Could this piece become a classic like the "other" Chicago mouthpiece?
Hank
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2002-12-21 01:09
First of all, it's Stowell (Jerome Stowell was associate principal clarinet in the Chicago Symphony) Wells, & Schneider. Both Wells and Schneider made the mouthpieces, Schneider being much older and not with the company beyond about 1954. Stowell designed the mouthpiece and tested various models while Frank Wells, who was originally a trumpet player and a machinist, did the work from blanks made by Babbitt. Your "#2" is most likely a B2. The blank was later made longer to bring pitch down and when Wells and Stowell terminated the partnership, Wells continued to make the mouthpieces with only his name on them. Wells used the same logo stamp and simply filed off the other two names. Some of the early mouthpieces after the partnership ended still had very faint traces of the Stowell and Schneider names from the stamp not being quite cleaned off completely. By the way, the business end of the mp company was handled by Stowell, who along with being a clarinetist and teacher, was a CPA with his business degree from the Univ. of Chicago.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-12-21 01:14
Perhaps that's why I got no hits using Stoll instead of looking at the mouthpiece and seeing Stowell and using that name. And yes, mine is a B2. Duhh!
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Author: William
Date: 2002-12-21 03:54
I have a mouthpiece that simply says Stowell, Chicago in an oval logo with the B2 marking to the right of the table. It articulates quite well and plays with "authority"--plenty of projection and sound. Nice mpc, but it hasn't replaced my Chicago Kaspar as yet.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-12-21 03:59
Hi William,
I did a search using the correct Stowell spelling and found that a MP that says just Stowell and Chicago was one from after the split up of the 3, SWS.
As the story goes, Stowell used the original mold/dies (you can tell I do not know how MPs are made) and just filed off the other two names. A great clarinet story!
So, a good player but not quite a Kasper?
Hank
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-12-21 12:12
Yeah, Frank wouldn't lend those guys any magic Moldovan pixie pee.
Please.
The modern stuff made by Hill & Chadash, Fobes, Smith, Johnston and other living makers is better, adjustable by the living maker and
*gasp* AVAILABLE at a reasonable price!
The SWS consortium broke up because they couldn't give these things away when they were making them... some kind of rumor made the old Viennese wooden mouthpieces popular - rarity drives this nonsense.
Stowell went onto a satisfying career selling Arizona beachfront.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-12-21 12:27
Hi Hank - You rang my mp bell via Wells. I had [have if I can find it] a Wells #2 [I believe], my gift from "Mac" Oberlin, father of Dan [Tallahasse Winds 1st chair cl!, Hi Dan], dont know what he plays on now! Wells [only?] patent, on a "key-shaped" wind-cut[believe that is the term], is US 4,449,439 but is referenced in the Hall-Zinner 5,105,701 and a couple more. These are accessible via a USPTO "quick" search using Wells AND Clarinet, "mouthpiece" turns up a lot of "false-drop". Good reading, Don
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-12-21 12:36
Hi Don,
I saw that reference to the patent # when I finally searched for the correct Stowell spelling. Interesting terminology, what!
Regards,
Hank
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Author: dfh
Date: 2002-12-21 16:28
THis BB is great. Only a week of reading and I've learned so much!
I'm playing on a Stowell that was given to me by...well, I'm not sure I should post that w/o asking them first, but, we didn't know anything about it other than that it playes really nicley (and that it was from Chicago). I don't know or understand a lot of the mouthpiece terminology, but it is very small, and will work with almost any reed as long as the tips aren't too long and the reed is narrow enough. It has wonderful articulation, projection and dynamic range. The only problem with it is that it doesn't have a rich/lush enough sound, so I'm on the market for a new MP, but the search is frustrating b/c I like the way my Stowell feels and responds so much that I'm having a hard time finding anything that does all that and sounds good. Granted, my search has really just begun.
Are any of you familiar enough with these Stowells to know if There is a lot of varriation between them? Would it be worth it for me to hunt some others down to see if one might have a slightly better sound? Of couse, a Kasper would be nice if I could afford one, or find one.... ;-)
Hank- from where did you do your searches to find out about this MP?
thanks again everyone!
dfh
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Author: dfh
Date: 2002-12-21 16:40
i forgot to add this on my previous post.
So what contemporary makers are making Mp's that play something like these? I own a Greg Smith, which has a GREAT sound, but is very very very picky about reeds and isn't so fexible, although I think I might try more of those... I've tried some Fobes, Vandoreens of all kinds (except the new ones, what's the word on those? M30's?) and I also have a few others Mps not really worth mentioning. I'm in the dark as to who does really good refacing work on Mps.
Thanks to anyone who has the time/patience to advise me!!
dfh
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-12-21 18:04
Hi DFH,
I did the searches on this BB. Just go to the top, click on Search, put in the varaible(s) and away you go. Be sure, like I did not the first time, spell Stowell correctly.
I don't know that there were ever that many of teh MPs around but if you have the Oval with all 3 names and Chicago like mine, that is one of the earlier mouthpieces.
If you are looking for a similar mouthpiece, I still use a Portnoy BP02 as a choice that is more in touch with my needs than any others. Maybe that is a possible try for you.
Hank
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Author: infundibulum
Date: 2011-02-28 19:39
I studied with Jerry for years ... ~1964 - 1968 & ~1972 - 1973.
He was an all-around great guy and good teacher. Did he have
a couple of regrets? Of course! One of his first jobs as a CPA
was with a company in its infancy - Campbell Soup. At the time,
he didn't think it was a big deal. ;-)
Oh yeah, Jerry had stories ...
I played a SWS B2 for quite a few years until it got damaged.
Now, I play only Kaspars and, occasionally, a Borbeck.
If you want to hear what the SWSs sound like, I think Lorin
(Levee, LA Philharmonic) is still playing either a SWS or
a Wells. But, I think his clarinet is a Yamaha.
The SWS or Wells is probably a very good mouthpiece for
a Saxophonist who doubles on clarinet. They are extremely
free blowing and, given the right reed, can produce a very
good tone. Remember, the sound you produce is "in your ear".
Even before I went to Kaspars, Kaspar-diehards would tell
me that I produced a sound that was closest to being the
sound a Kaspar produces without playing on one.
My Borbeck (bought directly from Borbeck in the 1970s) is
an '11'. I think I produce (from listening to recordings) a
more Mitchell Lurie type sound with it than I do with the
Kaspars. My Kaspars (13 & L facings) were all worked on
by Everett Matson. I also own a couple of Kaspar 'G' (Gigliotti)
facings which I will take, shortly, to Rick Sayre to be adjusted.
Adieu
Post Edited (2011-03-03 14:42)
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